Hasidic NYPD recruit fired over beard

Fishel Litzman, an NYPD recruit, was fired Friday for refusing to trim his beard. Litzman cited religious beliefs for his refusal. "I don't understand what the problem would be," he said. (Norman Y. Lono for New York Daily News)

A Hasidic recruit at the Police Academy had his dream of becoming a city cop dashed Friday — by the fuzz.

Fishel Litzman, who was just a month away from receiving his shield, got the boot after he refused to trim his scraggly beard, insisting it would violate his religious beliefs.

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"I always wanted to be a police officer," a disappointed Litzman said, as he played with two of his five kids outside his home in Monsey, N.Y. "This was unfortunate."

Then, a bit sadly, he added, "I'm a newly minted civilian."

Litzman, a 38-year-old Hasid, said the NYPD did not state a reason on his dismissal papers.

"They knew from when he took the exam and applied that he would not trim his beard," said Nathan Lewin, a legal heavyweight who has fought and won beard battles on behalf of observant Jews with the Army and Air Force.

"He said from the outset it was a matter of religious observance. He never made a secret of it."

Isaac Abraham, an activist in Brooklyn's Hasidic communities, said it was a shame that allowances couldn't be made for Litzman's beard.

"I can't see where a whisker would cause somebody to be fired if he does his job," he said.

The NYPD's chief spokesman insisted they made every attempt to accommodate Litzman.

"The NYPD makes reasonable accommodations in this regard, permitting beards for religious purposes to be kept to 1 (millimeter) in length," said Paul Browne. "This was explained to the recruit in the Police Academy."

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly signed off on the firing Thursday, but sources said Litzman's ouster had been in the works for several months.

Back in March, Litzman's instructors recommended he be canned after he was disciplined repeatedly for failing "to maintain personal appearance," sources said.

Litzman was cited the first time Jan. 27 for his unkempt beard. Then he was issued a command discipline from Jan. 30-Feb. 2 — all for failure to maintain his personal appearance.

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While Litzman rocked the tests with scores of 99, 100 and 96, he also got written up for minor mistakes like being in the locker room too early and forgetting his gym gear, sources said.

In a March 18 memo to the NYPD, Litzman defended his performance and stated that "as an Orthodox Chasidic Jew it is absolutely forbidden in my religious beliefs to cut or trim my beard in any way.

"I am being disciplined only because I maintain my religious beliefs and observances," he wrote, underlining the sentence.

He also wrote passionately about his desire to be a city cop, while remaining true to his faith.

"I will not waver in my firm belief that I can be a successful member of the NYPD and an Orthodox Chasidic Jew at the same time," he wrote. "I believe that my love of G-d and my love of the NYPD can coexist."

A source familiar with Litzman's progress described him as "a great recruit" who holds a rabbinical degree, is fluent in both Hebrew and Yiddish, and used to be a paramedic.

"But there is a potential safety issue," the source said.

Asked how Litzman's beard might be a hazard, the source mentioned the masks recruits wear during counterterrorism training.

"You have to be clean shaven so the mask can fit," the source said. "If it doesn't fit it can be a safety issue — and a liability issue."

Before he was dismissed, Litzman was formally asked by the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity to trim his beard, sources said.

He refused.

And when he appeared at the academy Friday for a day shift he was fired.

Police then escorted Litzman back to his home to collect NYPD property, including his helmet, sources said.

The Police Department hired their first Hasidic cop in 2006 and now there are at least two dozen Orthodox-Jewish officers on the force.

Like observant Muslim and Sikh officers, they are allowed to keep their beards for religious reasons but are required to keep them neat and trimmed.

They are also allowed to wear their yarmulkes under the police caps and are excused from working after dusk on Fridays and on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

Like many large organizations, the NYPD has, at times, had difficulty adjusting to changing demographics in the city.

In 2002, a Sikh rookie traffic agent cadet sued the department after he was fired for refusing to prune his beard or remove his turban.

Amric Singh Rathour was later reinstated after the NYPD relented and agreed to incorporate turbans into their uniforms.